PIL saves at least some face

It took a fortuitous bounce on a punt and a couple big catches by senior Ray Burney III, but the Jefferson football team continued to be the class of the Portland Interscholastic League Friday with a 36-19 win over visiting Parkrose in the play-in round of the OSAA Class 5A state playoffs.

Jefferson led 24-19 at the start of the fourth quarter, but momentum had clearly shifted to the Broncos, who had rallied from a 24-7 halftime deficit to within just needing the ball to drive for another score. But the punt bounced off the back of a blocking back and the Demos recovered at the Parkrose 40.

The ensuing possession, though, went backward due to penalties and Jefferson faced third and 18 when quarterback Deven Jackson tossed a screen to Burney, who streaked up the left sideline for a 19-yard gain and a first down. After another first down, Jackson hooked up with Burney on an 18-yard scoring pass for a 30-19 lead with 7:01 left.

The Demos slid another score between a pair of stalled Parkrose drives and reached the 16-team playoff round for the sixth straight year. Jefferson is the lone Portland Interscholastic League team in the final 16 and is the lone PIL team to have won a playoff game since the state moved to six classifications in 2006.

"We've been thinking we have to represent the league," Burney said afterward. "Everyone thinks our league is weak, so we have to prove them wrong. And you do that by winning."

Jefferson, which entered the playoffs ranked No. 21 among the 37 Class 5A teams, are expected to play at Mountain View of Bend next week. The Demos have reached at least the quarterfinals the past five years and played in the championship game in 2009. Twice in the past five seasons, they've played Mountain View, splitting the two games.

The remaining three PIL teams in the play-in round lost Frdiay, including Benson's 61-0 defeat at top-ranked Sherwood. The PIL finished the season with the five lowest-ranked teams. Franklin lost at Liberty 35-14 and Wilson lost at Wilsonville.

Parkrose's playoff misery continues. The Broncos won a play-in round game last year and reached the playoffs for the first time in 28 years last season, but lost in the round of 16. Parkrose has still not won a playoff game in its history, although the school is hopeful about next season after a class of 25 freshmen played through the fall.